Thursday, April 10, 2014

Pot Cookie Killed Colorado Kid

He should have waited until they cooled....

"Student fell to death after eating pot cookie" by SADIE GURMAN | Associated Press   April 03, 2014

DENVER — A Wyoming college student visiting Denver on spring break jumped to his death after eating a marijuana cookie that his friend legally purchased in one of Colorado’s recreational pot shops, authorities said Wednesday.

An autopsy report lists marijuana intoxication as a ‘‘significant contributing factor’’ in the death of 19-year-old Levi Thamba Pongi, a native of the Republic of Congo who fell from a motel balcony on March 11.

It marked the first time the Denver medical examiner’s office has listed a marijuana edible as a contributor to a death, said a spokeswoman.

Investigators believe Pongi and his friends came to Colorado to try marijuana, she said.

Denver police ruled the death an accident but said their investigation remains open.

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Between that and the crime and corruption that comes with pot in Colorado it's looking like you guys made a mistake according to my chemical and pharmaceutical corporate supporting pre$$:

"Colo. police fear marijuana-linked crime; Say black market for drug is on rise due to high taxes" by Sadie Gurman | Associated Press   April 05, 2014

DENVER — A 25-year-old is shot dead trying to sell marijuana the old-fashioned, illegal way. Two men from Texas set up a warehouse to grow more than they would ever need. And three people buying pot in a grocery store parking lot are robbed at gunpoint.

While no one expected the state’s first-in-the-nation recreational sales of marijuana would eliminate the need for dangerous underground sales overnight, the violence has raised concerns among police, prosecutors, and pot advocates that a black market for marijuana is alive and well in Colorado.

Like cigarettes?

‘‘It has done nothing more than enhance the opportunity for the black market,’’ said Lieutenant Mark Comte of the Colorado Springs police vice and narcotics unit. ‘‘If you can get it tax-free on the corner, you’re going to get it on the corner.’’

Yup, so the reasons for legalization -- get crime out of it -- are based on myths, so time to scrap it. Put the joint out on legalization of pot. We gotcha, agenda-pushing paper.

It’s difficult to measure whether there has been an increase in marijuana-related crimes beyond anecdotal reports because no one at either the federal or state levels is keeping track of the numbers of killings, robberies, and other crimes linked directly to marijuana.

What that means is this whole article and the premise behind it is a pile of bull. 

Yeah, I love agenda-pushing anecdotes. 

Pot advocates say the state is in a transition period, and while related crimes will continue, they will begin to decline as more stores open and prices of legal marijuana decline.

‘‘It’s just a transition period,’’ activist Brian Vicente said. ‘‘Marijuana was illegal for the last 80 years in our state, and there are some remnants of that still around. Certainly, much like alcohol, over time these underground dealers will fade away.’’

Sales are due to begin in June in Washington, where authorities will be watching for similar cases.

‘‘There’s going to be a black market here,’’ said Commander Pat Slack of the Snohomish Regional Drug/Gang Task Force, which covers an area outside Seattle. ‘‘There will be drug rip-offs and drug debts that haven’t been paid. All of that is going to stay.’’

Under Colorado’s voter-approved law, it is legal to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. Authorities are concerned that means illegal dealers and buyers believe they can avoid prosecution.

These dealers and their customers also tend to be targets if robbers know they are flush with cash.

Related: Sifting Through the Globe Chaff 

You can if you want. I think it stinks in more ways than one.

Arapahoe County, outside Denver, has seen ‘‘a growing number of drug ripoffs and outright burglaries and robberies of people who have large amounts of marijuana or cash on them,’’ said District Attorney George Brauchler.

Or you can take your chances putting the money in a bank where it is subject to burglary and robbery by banker and government thieves.

His district has seen at least three homicides linked to pot in recent months and a rising number of robberies and home invasions.

Among them was a February case in which a 17-year-old boy said he accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend while robbing a man who had come to purchase marijuana.

Elsewhere, prosecutors say, Nathaniel Tallman, 25, was killed during a January drug deal when he was robbed and shot.

Related: Zanco's Execution 

Looks like it happens even in places where pot is illegal.

The next month, a dealer mugged three people who were trying to buy marijuana from him in a Denver grocery store parking lot.

Such deals are the exception, said Vicente. The ‘‘average customer’’ prefers to buy in a well-lit, regulated store, he said, citing the roughly $2 million Colorado made in marijuana taxes in January alone.

Yeah, at the bottom of everything are tho$e con$iderations.

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Never mind what you think or want, public. This is AmeriKa!


"Three-fourths of US says pot will be legal, poll says" by Kristen Wyatt | Associated Press   April 03, 2014

DENVER — Three-fourths of Americans say it’s inevitable that marijuana will be legal for recreational use across the nation, whether they support such policies or not, according to a public opinion poll released Wednesday that highlights shifting attitudes following the drug war era and tough-on-crime legislation.

That's nice and all, but my IMMEDIATE CONCERN was the MEDICAL COMPONENT we VOTED FOR?!!! 

As of now, the state that never wanted it is dragging its heals about it. How many more people must suffer in the interim?

The Pew Research Center survey also shows increased support for ending mandatory minimum prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenders and doing away altogether with jail time for small amounts of marijuana.

You mean the public is, like, being reasonable and all?

The opinions come as public debate on these topics has led lawmakers around the nation to consider policy changes.

Pffft! 

That's bullshit! It's not because of what people or voters think because they don't listen to so much; it's because their jails are busting at the seems and their budgets are being cut. 

Yeah, the good old lawmakers that put us in this mess fixing problems. God, I'm so sick of the stinkweed narrative of the propaganda pre$$! 

Maybe I should just smoke a joint and chill out the anger, huh?

Since California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, at least 19 others and the District of Columbia have followed suit, including two that have approved recreational use. More than a dozen state legislatures considered legalization measures this year.

Meanwhile, critics and political leaders, both liberal and conservative, have clamored for an end to harsh drug sentences, saying mandatory minimums have contributed to prison overcrowding, civil rights violations, and strained budgets. US Attorney General Eric Holder has been pushing Congress to overhaul drug sentencing policies.

Related: Holder on Drugs

The telephone survey found that 75 percent of respondents — including majorities of both supporters and opponents of legal marijuana — think that the sale and use of pot eventually will be legal nationwide.

It was the first time that question had been asked, but it reflects a gradual trend of acceptance.

But it is not getting the same amount of attention and print as other issues of the same ilk.

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Years later, many states reported prisons bursting at the seams, prompting public officials to start abandoning ‘‘lock ’em up’’ drug policies in the 1990s. The trend has since accelerated.

Yeah, it wasn't what you thought making them rethink policies!

Such plans, including one drafted by Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, that would give judges wider discretion in sentencing have picked up support from both Republicans and Democrats.

Related: CPAC Picks Paul Again 

He's likely my pick, and he's nothing like the father -- who wasn't much anyway, as it turned out.

The poll suggested that, despite shifting attitudes on legalization, the public remains concerned about drug abuse....

That would be regarding the real dangerous drugs like heroin, cocaine, and meth.

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RelatedThe Sweet Smell of Success 

I didn't mean to blow it in your face.

Also seeFourth-grader brought marijuana to school, Providence police say

Mayor Walsh says he aims to block dispensaries

Walsh proposes 4.5% budget increase

Boston spreads free Wi-Fi hotspots

That about wipes it up.